This invention relates to a method of configuring standard uniform electrode components for making an electrode assembly suitable for an electrochemical cell of either a high or low electrochemical surface area.
In the manufacture of batteries, whether employing a primary (non-rechargeable) or secondary (rechargeable) electrochemical system, the uniformity of electrode geometries is critical in producing a cell which delivers consistent discharge performance, as well as producing a cell possessing a high degree of manufacturability. Because of this need, specialized equipment has been fabricated for the manufacturing process of producing electrodes of consistent geometry. However, the relative inflexibility in electrode geometries imparted by the use of specialized manufacturing processes may preclude the use of the resulting electrodes in cells for a wide variety of applications.
Depending on the battery type and its intended application, a number of electrodes are configured and assembled into a cell stack and then further manufactured into a finished cell. The assembly and configuration of the electrodes affects 1) the efficient use of space within a cell having a desired shape, which may be related to its particular application; 2) the amount of surface area of the electrode exposed to electrolytic action ("electrochemical surface area") thereby affecting the electrical performance of the finished cell; and 3) the cost of manufacturing the finished cell if different electrode geometries are desired, depending on the various cell types. For example, cells having lower electrochemical surface may be used in applications requiring a very long shelf-life or limitation of the cell's current and heat output. Cells having higher electrochemical surface may be used in applications requiring a high discharge and power capability. Thus, for each electrochemical surface area, a standard electrode geometry is produced using a separate specialized manufacturing process.
It would therefore be highly desirable to provide a method for the configuring of standard electrodes of uniform geometries in a fashion that provides for the production of electrochemical cells that specifically possess either a high or low electrochemical surface without appreciably increasing the cost of specialized manufacturing processes, or necessitating any substantial alterations in existing machinery involved in those processes, and yet maintaining a high degree of manufacturability.